From Monday 18th March, we are delighted to say that we will be opening 7 days per week from 9.45 to 5pm each day.
In addition to our Whisky Tasting Bar, our café is open serving delicious freshly baked cakes each day from 10am to 4.30pm with lunches being served from 12 noon to 3.30pm – Booking for tables is essential.
The Visitor Centre and café are dog friendly, and we love to welcome all your four-legged companions. Please advise when booking tables in the café if you are bringing your pet along with you as spaces are limited.
Tour bookings can be made on the following link: https://www.kilchomandistillery.com/book-distillery-tour/
Café bookings can be made by calling us on 01496850011 option 1.
We look forward to welcoming old and new friends back to the distillery for 2024.
This year we’re embarking on our biggest tour ever – visiting 20 countries over 10 weeks, starting in Switzerland on March 26th, finishing back on Islay for our Fèis Ìle day on May 30th.
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This year’s tour will coincide with the launch a new ‘colossal’ core expression…. more info coming soon.
As well as a great selection of new and old Kilchoman releases, we’ll be bringing some of our famous new make spirit, produced from the barley grown on the farm. Our production team will connect through a live feed from the distillery to show us what they’re getting up to.
Come along to an event near you and be amongst the first to sample our latest core range expression. Meet the team, hear some stories of life at Kilchoman, share a few great whiskies and have some fun. We’ve also got a few treats for you to take home with you!
A full list of tour stops is below, there will be a mix of informal afternoon drop-in shop events and larger evening tastings. For more information about tickets please contact the venues directly.
SWITZERLAND
26TH MARCH: Vinothek, Solothurn
27TH MARCH: Häberli-Weine, Dagmersellen
Selection Widmer, Eschenbach
28TH MARCH: Globus Zürich
AAbach Restaurant, Wetzikon
ITALY
2ND APRIL: Enoteca Cinti, Rome
Scotch Roma, Rome
3RD APRIL: Enoteca Alessi, Florence
Djaria American Bar, Florence
Rasputin, Florence
4TH APRIL: Raróshop, Ferrara
Bindini Tobacco & Shop, Ferrara
SLOVENIA
5TH APRIL: Venka Vojo, Portorož
CROATIA
6TH APRIL: Fine Stvari, Zagreb
HUNGARY
7TH APRIL: GoodSpirits Shop Etele Plaza, Budapest
8TH APRIL: GoodSpirit Downtown, Budapest
AUSTRIA
9TH APRIL: The Islay Whisky Chapter, Graz
10TH APRIL: Kreutz Genuss am Gaumen, Götzis
Innsbruck Amraserhof, Innsbruck
11TH APRIL: Potstill, Vienna
SLOVAKIA
12TH APRIL: Svet Nápojov, Bratislava
Izzi Pub, Bratislava
POLAND
13TH APRIL: M&P, Kraków
14TH APRIL: Starachowice
15TH APRIL: M&P, Warsaw
16TH APRIL: M&P, Bialystok
LITHUANIA
17TH APRIL: VINTAŽ vyno baras, Vilnius
King & Mouse Whisky Bar, Vilnius
LATVIA
18TH APRIL: Baltic XL,Riga
Makonis, Riga
ESTONIA
19TH APRIL: TBC
Heldeke Bar, Tallinn
FINLAND
20TH APRIL: Barley & Bait, Helsinki
21ST APRIL: Kerttulin Kievari, Turku
SWEDEN
22ND APRIL: Ardbeg Embassy, Stockholm
23RD APRIL: Bredaryds Wärdshus, Bredaryd
24TH APRIL: The Bishop’s Arms, Malmö
25TH APRIL: Brygghuset, Fiskebäckskil
NORWAY
26TH APRIL: Cask AS, Oslo
27TH APRIL: Ambassaden, Oslo
DENMARK
29TH APRIL: HJ Hansen Vin, Copenhagen – Theis Vine, Charlottenlund
H.J. Hansen Østbanegade 3
30TH APRIL: HJ Hansen, Odense
Vinspecialisten, Harlev
1ST MAY: Vinspecialisten, Randers
Vinspecialisten, Varde
GERMANY
2ND MAY: CITTI, Kiel
3RD MAY: Weinquelle Luhmann, Hamburg
Men’s Needs, Hamburg
4TH MAY: Berlin Bottle, Berlin
Whisky & Cigars, Berlin
5TH MAY: Travel Day
6TH MAY: Whisky for Life, Frankfurt
Whisky Spirits, Frankfurt
7TH MAY: Simone Kehrer Cigarran-Pfeifen-Spirituosen, Reutlingen
8TH MAY: Gradls Whiskyfässla, Nürnberg
NETHERLANDS
10TH MAY: Wijnhuis Den Boer, Krimpen a/d Lek, Rotterdam
11TH MAY: Versailles, Nijmegen
12TH MAY: De Helm, Pijnacker
13TH MAY: De Vuurtoren, Sluis
BELGIUM
14TH MAY: Albo Wilrijk, Antwerpen
Dranken Claessens, Brecht
15TH MAY: Huis Verloo in Antwerp, Brasserie Verachtert, Saint Georges
& Sobelvin, Angleur
16TH MAY: We Are Whisky, Orp-Jaunche, Flavor Shop, Gooik, Le Col De Cygne, Brussels
& Huis Windels, Mechelen
17TH MAY: Wholly Spirits, Zottegem
Pauwels, Heule
18TH MAY: Topwhisky/Domino, Heuvelland
ENGLAND
19TH MAY: The Whisky Shop, Brighton
20TH MAY: The Whisky Shop, Bath
21ST MAY: The Whisky Shop, Manchester
IRELAND
23RD MAY: Celtic Whiskey Shop, Dublin
The Flowing Tide Pub, Dublin
NORTHERN IRELAND
24TH MAY: KWM Wine, Belfast
SCOTLAND
25TH MAY: Robbies Drams, Ayr
The Good Spirits Co., Glasgow
26TH MAY: The Whisky Shop, Edinburgh
27TH MAY: Loch Fyne Whiskies, Inveraray
We have linked up with the guys at Amber Island to create a unique pair of 100% Islay single cask bottlings, both from the same cask. The first bottling, of 111 bottles, will be released after 11 years of maturation in a bourbon barrel. The second bottling, again of 111 bottles, will be after a second maturation in either an oloroso sherry or sauternes wine cask. Which cask and the length of the second maturation will be decided by those who purchase bottles.
It’s an exciting project. The first step is to choose a single cask. On Wednesday 6th March, 5pm (UK time) Anthony Wills, Kilchoman Founder and Andreas Lykke of The Daily Whisky will join Karim Moustafa and Shenr-Jye Hon from Amber Island to introduce the project, select a single cask and discuss the second maturation options.
Find out more about the Kilchoman X Amber Island project here
Join the Zoom masterclass on Wednesday 6th March, 5pm (UK time) here
Barley is a fundamental ingredient when making single malt scotch whisky but at Kilchoman the barley is much more than just an ingredient, it’s integral to our whole philosophy. As a farm distillery, we are one of the few distilleries in Scotland to grow barley on-site, and one of only a handful that completes the entire whisky-making process on-site. This gives us a unique insight into the challenges and successes that come with growing barley – especially on Islay!
The first step is picking the variety. Sounds simple? Not quite. The barley variety can have a serious domino effect on the rest of the production process. If the wrong variety is selected, it might not perform as well, reducing your yearly yield. We always choose a good, hearty variety as we are growing it on Islay after all! In the past, we have used varieties such as Concerto, Diablo, Publican, Sassy, Optic, Octavia, Planet, and Laurette. All perform differently depending on the weather, the condition of the soil, or even the wildlife that lives amongst it. Compared to barley grown on the mainland, which is primarily used for commercial maltings, our yield is slightly lower. On Islay, we are situated right next to the Gulf Stream, which helps to regulate our temperature and keep the overall climate warmer. However, it does bring additional wind and rain, resulting in a more challenging environment to grow barley than you would experience elsewhere in Scotland. We initially focused solely on how much yield it can produce but over the years have come to realise the impact the different varieties also have on the character of the spirit.
It is not all as bad as it seems though! Rockside Farm, upon which the distillery is built, also has some of the most fertile land on Islay and allows us space for 230 acres worth of good barley growing ground. We don’t sow all of those acres yearly, as it is important to allow the fields to rest in between crops to maximise our yields overall, but it is still a decent portion of land for a 2000-acre farm on an island covered in peat bogs! As well as this, growing our own barley allows us a massive insight into the deeper role barley plays in the production. Growing different barley varieties in fields side by side has enabled us to directly compare the impact they have on the distilled spirit. It also allows us to further experiment with peating levels or yeast varieties and see the impact this has on the spirit’s flavour profile from each of the different barley varieties.
For centuries, the area around Rockside Farm was always some of the most sought-after land due to farming being the most prominent industry on the island. Traditionally, barley would have been grown for use in the industry, with whisky production being a by-product of this, but that soon got flipped on its head. When the whisky industry started to gain popularity in the early 1900s, and distilleries started to increase capacity, Islay could no longer grow all the barley required to supply the distilleries, so the barley had to be sourced out with the island to keep up with demand, and with-it went traditional farm distilling.
One of Anthonys’ goals when starting Kilchoman was to take whisky back to its original grassroots, and growing our own barley on the farm was vital to achieving this. Despite the odds being against us and dealing with struggles from the combine breaking down mid-harvest to severe flooding or the lack of rain altogether, we love the unpredictable Islay weather! We do not grow barley because it is easy or to produce a lot of whisky. We do it to keep whisky rooted to the original connection to the island and its heritage. We are proud to be one of the only distilleries in Scotland to produce a Single Farm Single Malt and the only one in the world to be 100% Islay.
It’s that time of year again at Kilchoman and we have a special pre-Christmas treat exclusively for our Kilchoman Club members!
This year Anthony and Robin have selected casks 1110 and 1101 of 2016. The whisky in these casks was initially matured in ex-bourbon barrels before being finished in our rarely used Blanc de Blancs wine casks.
Blanc de Blancs is the name given to sparkling wines from a world-famous winemaking region of France produced entirely from white grapes, most commonly Chardonnay. These wines are known for their minerality and freshness, matching perfectly with the citrus sweetness and maritime peat smoke that characterises Kilchoman.
“The Blanc de Blancs casks have added layers of lemon tart, tropical fruit and aromatic honeysuckle which build on the caramel and vanilla influence of the bourbon barrels and pair beautifully with the natural salty sweetness and peat smoke of the Kilchoman spirit. It’s a shame we didn’t fill more Blanc de Blancs,” Anthony Wills, Founder.
The 2023 Club Release is exclusively available online to Club Members on Wednesday 6th December at 12 noon Islay time, priced at £70.75 excluding VAT (£84.90 inc. UK VAT) per bottle and limited to one per person. For shipping information please click here.
If you are not already a club member you can sign up here.
This is a proud moment for all at the distillery as we release our oldest global bottling to date. A combination of 21 casks have been maturing for over 16 years, predominantly ex-bourbon barrels with a hint of ex-oloroso sherry, creating a perfectly balanced single malt.
With a marriage of both ex-bourbon and oloroso sherry casks, this release showcases how the recognised Kilchoman flavours and character has developed over the last 16 years of maturation.
Anthony and Robin have spent the last few years keeping a close eye on these early casks, waiting for the right moment to vat them together and form this momentous Kilchoman 16 Years Old.
“This is a landmark release for the distillery, the oldest global bottling we have done to date at 16 years of age. I look forward to Kilchoman fans around the world tasting this outstanding whisky and experience the evolving character of our single malt,” Anthony Wills, Kilchoman Founder.
The Kilchoman 16 Years Old is available from Kilchoman stockists around the world from this week.
For more information please contact admin@kilchomandistillery.com
From Wednesday 1st November, we are open Monday to Friday from 09.45 – 17.00. The Café and Visitor Centre will be closed on Saturdays and Sundays.
The Café is open 10.00 – 16.30 for teas, coffees, and home-baking. Lunches are served from 12.00 to 14.30 each day, booking is advisable for lunch.
Bookings for tours can be made via our website.
Once again it has been a busy Summer here at Kilchoman, our guides have poured many whiskies, welcomed lots of lovely new and returning guests and chatted all things Kilchoman with friends from all over the world but it is now time for the team to take a break and allow them time to recharge.
We look forward to welcoming you over the Winter months to sit by our fire with a dram in hand and enjoy the slower seasonal pace of life.
We are delighted to have taken part in the Distillers One of One Auction for the second time. Our bottle, “Cask No.1”, from the first cask the distillery ever filled, offered a unique opportunity to own a remarkable piece of Kilchoman history and sold for a total of £15,000.
Hammer proceeds of 1.8 million from yesterday’s auction will primarily benefit the Distiller’s Charity’s Youth Action Fund, which aims to transform the lives of young people in Scotland aged between 16 and 25, by helping them to develop knowledge, confidence, resilience, and skills.
Yesterday’s result means that the first two Distillers One of One Auctions have raised a combined total of £4.2m for charity and we are delighted that we’ve been able to participate in both.
We first released a PX influenced bottling in 2021, a combination of full maturation and finished casks, the latest edition is exclusively made up of full maturation casks. Our PX Sherry Cask Matured limited edition has been matured for a minimum of five years in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks previously used by Bodega José y Miguel Martin, Jerez, Spain.
“The 2023 PX Sherry Cask Matured release is our first limited edition to be fully matured in PX casks. Some might consider five years to be a short maturation, but these PX hogsheads give such a rich and sweet character, shorter maturation is the only option to maintain a good balance of flavour. Here, the citrus sweetness and peat smoke of our spirit balance beautifully with the PX character to create a multi-dimensional whisky, rich and sweet with hints of light citrus sweetness and waves of maritime peat smoke,” Anthony Wills, Kilchoman Founder.
The PX Sherry Cask Matured is available from Kilchoman stockists around the world from this week and, as usual, it may take a little longer to reach those further away from Scotland. Please contact us if you have any questions about where to find a bottle.
The 100% Islay 13th Edition was distilled from barley grown on the farm at Kilchoman in 2012, 2013 and 2014, it was then matured for a minimum of 8 years before 44 bourbon barrels were selected for this year’s release of bottles.
“The 13th Edition is the first release since 2019 where I have opted for solely bourbon barrels. The 44 bourbon barrels that I selected are predominantly fresh casks, this gives the whisky lovely layers of buttery vanilla and caramel flavours which pair beautifully with the citrus sweetness of our spirit,”
Anthony Wills, Kilchoman Founder.
Our Distillery is situated on Rockside Farm which covers around 3,000 acres on the north-west coast of Islay. Most of the area is marginal ground, only suitable for resilient breeds of cattle and sheep however we do have 200 acres of good-quality soil surrounding the distillery. It is here that we grow the barley for our annual 100% Islay editions.
Not only is the barley grown on site but once it’s harvested, our team also malt the barley using traditional floor malting techniques; first germinating and then smoking the barley, using local Islay peat, to give the whisky its smoky character.
Each year Anthony Wills, Kilchoman Founder, selects a specific combination of casks. This year Anthony has selected 44 bourbon barrels from three different ages, the youngest 8 years of age.
Bottles will be hitting shelves in the UK and Europe from today, for those living further afield, bottles are on the way!
To find Kilchoman in the UK and abroad click here or contact us by email for more information – admin@kilchomandistillery.com
To be amongst the first to hear about all our new releases click here to sign up and join the Kilchoman Club for free
